Google announced today that it is launching a Chinese language version of its very popular developer-focused YouTube channel. The channel will feature videos in Mandarin, as well as subtitled versions of the videos that appear over on its English speaking channel.

For developers that have utilized the in-app WebView component to display HTML content in their Android apps, we have good news: Google just launched a beta channel for said WebView. This means developers can now try out upcoming versions of the WebView and make adjustments to their apps and offer feedback to Google before it goes public — a welcome change from the olden days of having a new...

Sony is opening up their pre-installed activity tracking app, Lifelog, to developers with a new API. This means third parties can haul location, app usage, and physical movement data gathered by Lifelog into their app (provided users give consent, of course).

There's some great news for developers today: Android Studio is officially out of beta with version 1.0 for Windows, Mac, and Linux users. The full release of the development platform has been anticipated for a while now, after having originally entered beta earlier this year.

Here's a fun little addition to the Android Developer Console. Devs can now view statistics based on tablet sizes — 7 inches to 9 inches, and for tablets 10 inches and larger.
For what it's worth, we're seeing slightly more 7- to 10-inch tablets than 10 inches and above for the Android Central app. We'll have to see if that shifts further in that direction once the Nexus 9 is available.

This is great news for developers. Google has updated the popular AppCompat library to version 21, and introduced a new Toolbar widget that will allow for a more Material Design look and feel in apps built for devices running older firmware. This update is exactly what we're all seeing in recent updates for Google Apps like the Play Store or Play Newsstand, and is how we can have the new design...

There's more there than USB debugging
Hidden in the settings on your phone, (really, they are hidden by default) are settings used for debugging and application development. While plenty of us have dove in there to switch to the ART runtime or to enable USB debugging, there's a long list of options. While most of us will never use them, it's always nice to know what's going on under the hood...

Meet the most powerful ARM developer board ever built
NVIDIA has entered the world of the single-board-computer market in a big way with the Jetson TK1. While you may have heard about great hobbyist boards like the Raspberry Pi or the BeagleBone Black, NVIDIA went a step further and built a product for ARM-based prototyping in the professional space. It's powerful, it's cheap, and readily...

Developers now have access to a suite of new tools that help them track how well their app is performing and manage it after it is published, and it all starts with the Google Play Developer Publishing API. This new API, which was announced back at Google I/O, makes it easier for developers to upload APKs to different tracks — such as beta, staged rollout and production — as well as manage...

It's not easy to make it as an app developer. That's the key takeaway from the latest State of the Developer Nation report from Vision Mobile, pulling together data from more than 10,000 mobile developers (including some of you) across 137 countries. With that many developers they were able to get a broad view of what's popular and (more importantly) what's successful in making great apps.

Google's head developer advocate Reto Meier has introduced a new series of online courses to get you started writing Android apps. The Android Fundamentals online training course is being offered by Udacity, and along with Meier and developer advocates Dan Galpin and Katherine Kuan, is designed for folks new to Android or even mobile development, but have the basics of programming covered.

Android is getting more than a face-lift, and I think we're all going to love it
I love being able to go to Google I/O each year. It's a perk that shines like a diamond amongst all the headache and stress that comes with every job, and a highlight of every year. Going to I/O not only sends us home as better Android bloggers, but on a personal level it gets me excited to see and talk with all...

Android Studio is a development environment that's been in testing since last year, and has just recently emerged from alpha status and is moving into beta. A bit part of the update is to support the Android L preview that was released at Google I/O, but Studio also has early support for Android Wear and Android TV as well. This includes templates, layout rendering, and everything else you need...

Tinkerers and ROM creators will be interested to hear that Sony has moved the kernel source code from their Developer World portal to GitHub. Pop by the repositories and you'll find kernels for many of the major Xperia devices, like the Z Ultra and Z1, with more to come.

Here's a fun little addition to the Google Play developer console. You can now choose to filter out unpublished apps, or apps in draft status. That means we won't have to see our old Smartwatch Fans app anymore, now that we've unpublished it and replaced it with Connectedly. (Which you should totally download now!)
Nice.

With the Tizen-powered Samsung Gear 2 now on the market, Samsung is looking to boost the smartwatch's app ecosystem with a new "app challenge" for developers. From May 8, Gear 2 app developers can register their creations on Samsung Apps to participate in the challenge. The prize pool totals $1.25 million, including a $100,000 grand prize for first place.

Today you can head out and buy yourself a Samsung Galaxy S5 all around the globe, but what if you want a developer edition? Well, that might be coming soon as well. As Samsung did for the Galaxy S4, it appears as if an early listing for a developer edition Verizon Samsung Galaxy S5 has popped up on their website.

Google gets serious about gaming at GDC
We thought it was great when Google updated Google Play Games last week some much wanted — and needed — features, but it seems that this was just the tip of the iceberg. Google has expanded their presence at GDC, and it looks like they are going all-in with mobile gaming.

Fingerprint and activity information on the Samsung Galaxy S5 now open to developers
App developers interested in making use of the Samsung Galaxy S5's fingerprint scanner or heart rate monitor only need to download the recently-updated Samsung Mobile SDK. Version 1.51 beta of the software development kit rolled out with access to accessory data (like that spiffy new Gear Fit) and health (...

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